Method and construction for housing clearance and tenant relocation



March 15, 1966 WECHSLER ETAL 3,239,989

METHOD AND CONSTRUCTION FOR HOUSING CLEARANCE AND TENANT RELOCATION Filed 001?. 10, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

MAX WECHSLER BY MICHAEL SCHIMENTI (2am H ATT Y.

March 15, 1966 w s ETAL 3,239,989

METHOD AND CONSTRUCTION HOUSING CLEARANCE AND TENANT P. GATION Filed Oct. 10, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2:

| h fi n m FIG-5 INVENTORS M AX WECHSL ER BY MICHAEL SCHIMENTI March 15, 1966 Y WECHSLER L 3,239,989

METHOD AND GONSTRU ON nousme CLEARANCE AND TE T R CATION Filed Oct. 10, 1962 s Shets-Sheet s ITS] SI 22.

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FIG-8 g; :W 7 7 E I Ll FIG-9 INVENTOR. [MAX WEC H SLE R BY MICHAEL SCHIMENTI ATTORNEY SSI a United States Patent Filed Oct. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 229,643 8 Claims. (Cl. 52-741) This application is a continuation-in-pa-rt of application Serial No. 204,659 filed July 11, 1962, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to the problem of providing new housing to replace old housing, and to provide a construction and method for doing so in which the tenant is relocated as the construction progresses.

In various sections and municipalities throughout the United States and elsewhere in the world, provision is constantly being made to improve public housing and private housing. More often than not, the improvement consists of clearing a slum or inadequate area, and replacing the old buildings, which are razed, with new modern housing. In order to do this, it is necessary to remove the tenants from the old housing and a problem is created when it is difiicult, if not impossible, to find new housing for these tenants, or temporary housing for them until the project is finished.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide constructions and methods in which the tenants can be relocated within the new housing construction as the work progresses without having to find other housing for such tenants.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a construction which can be constructed on land available adjacent to the existing old housing so as to maintain the old housing intact for habitation purposes until the new housing is completed.

Another object of this invention is to provide an architectural plan for the construction and the method which will utilize the ground area so that the new and old constructions may exist together during the completion of the project, and the old construction can be demolished as the new construction is finished.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a construction and method providing new for old constructions which will utilize the street adjacent to the old construction for the new construction.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a construction and method providing new for old constructions which will utilize the back yard or yards, or other areas adjacent to the old constructions 'for the new constructions.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the specification hereinbelow. These objects and advantages are achieved with the method and construction as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1, is a diagrammatic elevational view showing stage 1 of the method of this invention (present condition) of a series of five story buildings located on city blocks in a city such as the city of New York;

FIG. 2, is a diagrammatic elevational view similar to FIG. 1 showing stage 2 in which, in addition to the five story buildings, two taller structures constructed in a bed of two of the streets;

FIG. 3, is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the third stage in which the two taller buildings are completed and two of the five story buildings are demolished;

FIG. 4, is a view similar to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 showing the fourth stage (new condition) with the new construction completed and four of the old buildings demolished;

FIG. 5, is a top plan diagrammatic View;

3,239,989 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 FIG. 6, is a top plan diagrammatic view to illustrate another form of the invention showing an existing city block with old construction prior to new construction;

FIG. 7, is a top plan diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 6 in which the first part of the new construction has been erected in a rear yard;

FIG. 8, is another top plan diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 6 in which one half of the old construction has been demolished, and the second half of the proposed new construction has been completed; and

FIG. 9, is a top plan diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 6 showing the city block of FIG. 6 after the new construction has been completed, and all of the old construction has been demolished.

Similar numerals refer to similar several views.

Various programs to rehabilitate slum areas and to create new housing have been facing opposition because of the hardships encountered in the relocation of tenants. Public officials have been looking for vacant land, but in some metropolitan areas there is no vacant land in the locality of the slum or other area which is to be replaced by new housing such as low cost housing developments.

The methods and constructions in this invention utilize the fact that there is a vast quantity of vacant area upon which to build which, prior to this invention, has not been utilized, adjacent the housing to be replaced. This vacant area is in the city streets and is vacant land adjacent to the old buildings. By utilizing the land in the city streets, it is possible to construct a new structure or a part thereof in the bed of the street, and then relocate tenants from the old structures and then demolish some of the old structures, and then complete the new structure on all or a portion of the land on which the old structure was located, and then relocate more tenants ifrom old structures and turther demolish the old strucures. Reference is made now to FIGS. 1 and 5' of the drawlngs in which there are depicted typical city streets in a city such as the city of New York. These streets 10, 11, 12, and 13 are 60 feet wide from building line to building line, and approximately 700 feet long. There are usually two rows of old style housing in each block. For example, blocks A, B "and C have rows of houses 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively. For the example shown in this application, we will consider that buildings 14- through 19 inclusive are old law tenements or other slum type construction in a city such as the city of New York, and it is assumed that it is desirable to demolish this construction and relocate the tenants in modern, low cost housing such as new structures 20 and 21. This illustration is given by way of example only as the methods and constructions described herein may be used for any purpose in which it is necessary to demolish an old building, whether a slum building or not, and to replace it with a new structure.

The new structures 20 and 21 represent modern, 17- story apartment houses having central corridors 22 and 23 through which access may be had to the apartments in areas 24, 25, 26 and 27. The construction is started by building approximately one-half of each. unit 20 and 21 plus corridors 22 and 23 respectively. Thus, the commencement of unit 20 will include the construction of portion 25 containing apartments and the corridor portion 22, and construction of unit 21 will contain apartment unit 27 and corridor portion 23. These initial portions to be constructed are designed to fit centrally on an existing street between existing buildings. This is represented in the second stage of the plan as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings in which it will be noted that partially completed structure 20a is in the middle of street parts throughout the bed 11 between buildings 15 and 16, and partially completed new structure 21a is located in street bed 12 between buildings 17 and 18. After units 20a and 21a are complete and ready for occupancy, the tenants from buildings 15 and 17 are relocated in apartment units 25 and 27 respectively. Then buildings 15 and 17 are demolished leaving the land area which they formerly occupied vacant. Then apartment units 24 and 25 are completed on the other side of the corridors 22 and 23 respectively to complete buildings 20 and 21. It will be noted that the ground area occupied by buildings 20 and 21 now extends into the area formerly occupied by building groups 15 and 17 respectively. This can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and of the drawings, and represents the third stage of the work.

Thereafter, the tenants from buildings designated 16 and 18 are relocated in apartment units 24 and 26 respectively, and buildings 16 and 1d are demolished.

In FIG. 4 of the drawings, we see the final stage of the construction and relocation method. Streets 11 and 12 have been eliminated, and are now covered in part by constructions 20 and 21 respectively, and a new street 30 has been cut through between the new constructions. It is preferred that the street floor of the new constructions 20 and 21 should have no apartments, but will be completely open for parking cars. New street 30 may be placed anywhere between the buildings where there is vacant land, and will usually be in the area in which the back yards of the old buildings were formerly located.

Existing sewers and other public utilities can remain in their present locations as they will still be located under the open parking area of the first floors in the new buildings. There may have to be some alterations to these existing utilities, but these will be minor.

The average slum block is about 700 feet long and contains approximately 56 tenement buildings four to five stories in height. The tenements are occupied by about 560 tenants. New buildings, such as buildings 20 and. 21, would be approximately 700 feet long by 65 feet wide and 17 stories in height, large enough to receive all the tenants on the block from the old buildings plus making available an additional 76 apartments for tenants from other areas.

The simplicity of this new construction and method of rebuilding areas without dislocating tenants is self apparent. As the tenants stay in the old buildings, they may watch their new homes being constructed, and when the new buildings are completed, they simply move from the old into the new without causing hardship to anyone, and then the old can be demolished. This construction and system could be used in any city throughout the country or anywhere in the world.

While this invention has been described in its preferred form, it may be practiced in other forms dependent, of course, on the area to be rebuilt, the size and height of the old housing, and the design of the new housing to replace them. In the method described herein, a complete rebuilding of the area approximate to that of two city blocks is shown. Of course, this can be accomplished for either smaller or larger areas involving one or more new structures to replace one or more old structures, and it may also involve the use of adjacent land areas other than the bed of the street, for example, the back yard or back yards adjacent to the old constructions, or side yards, or other adjacent or contiguous or nearby land areas with relation to such old constructions. This is illustrated in connection with the use of a rear or back yard for the new construction as shown in the series of views in FIGS. 6 to 9 inclusive.

FIG. 6 shows an existing city block typical to a city such as the city of New York. For our purposes, we will assume that the top part of the figure is north and the bottom part of the figure is south, and that the sides are east and west in accordance with the designation adjacent the figure.

There is a row of old construction 50 on the north perimeter of city block 21. There is another row of old construction 52 on the south perimeter of city block 51, and there are rows of old construction 53 and 54 along the eastern and western ends respectively of block 51. It is understood that city streets or avenues front the four sides of block 51 in the usual manner.

The old constructions as shown in rows 50, 52, 53 and 54 provide an open central area 55 which is the rear 01' back yard area adjacent the buildings.

Referring now to FIG. 7 of the drawings, we show the first half 60 of a new structure representing a modern structure similar in type and description to unit 20 of the form shown in FIGS. 2 through 4 having apartments and a corridor portion for access to the apartments, said corridor portion being in a position so that it will serve as a central corridor when the new construction is complete. This has all been described hereinabove in connection with the form of invention illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4 of the drawings. When the first half of unit 60 is completed, the tenants from the south portions of rows 53 and 54 and all of the tenants of row 52 are relocated in unit 60. Then the old constructions from which the tenants are relocated are demolished, leaving room to build the second unit 65 south of construction unit 60. When unit 65 is completed, the tenants from the remaining structures in rows 53 and 54, on the northern ends, as well as the tenants of the northern row 50 are relocated in new unit 65, and then northern row 50 and the remaining buildings are completely demolished. The land area of block 51 outside of the new unit 70, which comprises units 60 and 65 with central corridor 61, are then graded and landscaped as desired leaving a completely new city block 51 as shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings having a centrally located modern building with beautiful landscaped areas around it up to the street areas.

While we have described the two preferred forms and methods for our constructions, there are other forms which it may take without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and we, therefore, desire to be protected for all forms coming within the claims herein below.

Wherefore we claim:

1. The method of providing for housing clearance, and new housing, and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing which comprises the steps of: selecting old housing to be cleared, building new housing comprising structure containing at least one corridor and at least one first mentioned apartment located on one side of the said corridor, said corridor being provided with temporary outer wall means on the side opposite the side of location of the apartment, and said structure being built over land in a street adjacent to said old housing to be cleared; then allowing the tenants to move from the old housing to be cleared into the said apartments in the said new housing structure; then demolishing the hold housing unit; then building another set of apartments adjacent the said temporary out wall means of said corridor of the new structure and providing for means of ingress and egress to said apartments from the said corridor, said second mentioned set of apartments being constructed over land formerly occupied by said old housing unit which has been demolished.

2. The method of providing for housing clearance, and new housing, and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing as set forth in claim 1 which comprises the additional steps of: selecting old housing to be cleared having a plurality of housing structures, and allowing only a portion of the tenants to move from said plurality of structures into the first mentioned apartments, and then demolishing only the old housing structures from which said portion of tenants are removed; and after completion of the new structure, allowing the remaining tenants to move from the old housing structure to the new portions of the new structure, and then demolishing the balance of the hold housing structure.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, in which the steps are carried out over an area involving several separate streets and providing for new structures on more than one of the said streets.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, which includes the additional step of providing a new street adjoining the new housing structure, to substitute for the old street which is covered by the new housing structure.

5. The method of providing for housing clearance, and new housing, and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing which comprises the steps of: selecting old housing to be cleared, building new housing comprising structure containing at least one corridor and at least one first mentioned apartment located on one side of the said corridor, said corridor being provided with temporary outer wall means on the side opposite the side of location of the apartment, and said structure being built over land adjacent to said old housing to be cleared; then allowing the tenants to move from the old housing to be cleared into the said apartments in the said new housing structure; then demolishing the old housing unit; then building another set of apartments adjacent the said temporary outer wall means of said corridor of the new structure and providing for means of ingress and egress to said apartments from the said corridor, said second mentioned set of apartments being constructed over land formerly occupied by said old housing unit which has been demolished.

6. The method of providing for housing clearance and new housing and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing as set forth in claim 5, in which the mentioned land comprises a rear yard with relation to the said cleared housing.

7. The method of providing for housing clearance and new housing and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing as set forth in claim 5, in which the mentioned land comprises a side yard with relation to the said cleared housing.

8. The method of providing for housing clearance, and new housing, and tenant relocation from said cleared housing to said new housing as set forth in claim 5, which comprises the additional steps of: selected old housing to be cleared having a plurality of housing structures, and allowing only a portion of the tenants to move from said plurality of structures into the first mentioned apartments, and then demolishing only the old housing structures from which said portion of tenants are removed; and after completion of the new structure, allowing the remaining tenants to move from the old housing structure to the new portions of the new structure, and then demolishing the balance of the old housing structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,886,962 11/1922 Roche 52-79 2,763,381 9/1956 Bowles 52174 2,990,588 7/1961 McKinley 52143 3,033,499 5/1962 Ash 52-27 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,087,887 1954 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Magazine of Building, April 1951, page 135. Popular Science, January 1958, page 146.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

o JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

J. E. MURTAGH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF PROVIDING FOR HOUSING CLEARANCE, AND NEW HOUSING, AND TENANT RELOCATION FROM SAID CLEARED HOUSING TO SAID NEW HOUSING WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: SELECTING OLD HOUSING TO BE CLEARED, BUILDING NEW HOUSING COMPRISING STRUCTURE CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE CORRIDOR AND AT LEAST ONE FIRST MENTIONED APARTMENT LOCATED ON ONE SIDE OF THE SAID CORRIDOR, SAID CORRIDOR BEING PROVIDED WITH TEMPORARY OUTER WALL MEANS ON THE SIDE OPPOSITE THE SIDE OF LOCATION OF THE APARTMENT, AND SAID STRUCTURE BEING BUILT OVER LAND IN A STREET ADJACENT TO SAID OLD HOUSING TO BE CLEARED; THEN ALLOWING THE TENANTS TO MOVE FROM THE OLD HOUSING TO BE CLEARED INTO THE SAID APARTMENTS IN THE SAID NEW HOUSING STRUCTURE; THEN DEMOLISHING THE HOLD HOUSING UNIT; THEN BUILDING ANOTHER SET OF APARTMENTS ADJACENT THE SAID TEMPORARY OUT WALL MEANS OF SAID CORRIDOR OF THE NEW STRUCTUE AND PROVIDING FOR MEANS OF INGRESS AND EGRESS TO SAID APARTMENTS FROM THE SAID CORRIDOR, SAID SECOND MENTIONED SET OF APARTMENTS BEING CONSTRUCTED OVER LAND FORMELY OCCUPIED BY SAID OLD HOUSING UNIT WHICH HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED. 